Chinese university lecturer Zheng Changseong, 31, accused of killing a Chinese international student who took his class and then dismembering the body and dumping and hiding the remains across the country, was sent to prosecutors under arrest. Despite the brutality of the crime, he fell short of the threshold on a psychopathy diagnostic test.
Gyeongsan Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province said on the 4th that it sent Zheng to prosecutors under arrest on charges of murder, destruction, abandonment and concealment of a body, and obstruction of official duties by deception.
Zheng is accused of strangling to death at about 6 a.m. on the 20th of last month a 25-year-old Chinese female international student, identified as A, who is presumed to have been in a romantic relationship with him, at his studio apartment in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province.
He is also accused of mutilating A's body to cover up the crime and then dumping it at garbage sites, in wooded hills and along riverbanks in five areas—Gyeongsan, Gyeongju and Sangju in North Gyeongsang Province, and Daegu and Gunpo in Gyeonggi Province—and hiding some remains at his residence.
He also faces charges of filing a false report to make it appear the victim was missing and trying to mislead the police investigation by dressing as a woman and traveling to Daegu with the victim's cellphone.
In a police interview, Zheng was quoted as saying he committed the crime because he feared losing his job after the victim said she would tell the school about their relationship.
Police said that while there are limits to pinpointing the exact motive because the victim is dead, Zheng showed truthful responses on a polygraph test, and investigators also secured findings suggesting the two were in a romantic relationship.
On the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) for Zheng, the result did not meet the threshold for psychopathy. In Korea, a score of 25 or higher out of a possible 40 is generally considered the criterion, and Zheng scored below 25.
Earlier, over the weekend, police brought in two profilers to conduct a psychopathy assessment on Zheng.
Police said they established the charges by combining footage from on-site closed-circuit television, parts of the victim's body found at Zheng's residence, the tools used to dismember the body, some of the discarded remains, and Zheng's statements.
Searching the five areas where Zheng is believed to have disposed of the body, police recovered some of the victim's remains, including bones, at three sites—Gyeongju, Sangju and Daegu. During the investigation, they analyzed footage from 16 nearby CCTVs and vehicle dashcams and conducted raids at 14 locations, including Zheng's residence, seizing 214 items. They also analyzed 84 items submitted for forensic examination, including the tools and remains.
Taking into account the deadline for investigations under detention, police handed Zheng over to prosecutors on the morning of the 4th. The search for parts of the victim's body that have not yet been found will continue after the case is sent to prosecutors.
Police also plan additional investigations into allegations that while serving as a university lecturer, Zheng threatened other female students by telling them they had to stay on his good side to graduate.
Police said they worked with relevant agencies to support the victim's family with psychological counseling, appointment of a state-funded attorney, body storage and cremation expense, and domestic stay expenses.